1.Durability? - What kind of durability will your product demand? For example, there's a world of difference between pencil erasers and airplane tires, both commonly made from rubber. Be sure to choose manufacturer that can advise you on the ideal material for your performance needs, and that can provide rubber testing capabilities.
2.Estimating Cost First, we'll need to know what the product is. Just send us a blueprint, CAD file, sample, or even just a sketch. Also let us know how the product will be used - this will help determine the ideal materials and manufacturing process for you. Also estimate the number of units you'll want to produce the more you produce, the more money you save per unit.
3.Get a Manufacturer With Relevant Experience There are many different types of rubber manufacturing, including
custom molded rubber, extruding, cutting. It's essential to choose a manufacturer that offers a wide variety of experience and capabilities.
4.Get an Engineer Designing a rubber product involves more than just its look and shape. Be sure to hire a company with design, engineering and testing experience in rubber. Also it's best to choose a manufacturer with CAD-CAM and rapid prototyping abilities.
5.High Volume or Custom Made? - This question depends on a variety of factors, from the number of units to produce, to the complexity and importance of the product. If you're producing mass-production consumer products, high volume injection-molding is what you need. If you're doing low-volume or mission-critical, customer molding is likely the better choice.
6.Look and Feel - Another factor to consider is look and feel. Do you want colors? Designs? What about the feel of the rubber hard or soft? These factors must considered in advance, as they're interrelated and in part dictate the rubber type you should use. For example, some materials are more color stable than others.
7.Manufacturing Location When selecting a manufacturer, it's important to consider all costs and benefits. For example, if quality is important to your brand, you're often best served by choosing from American or European rubber manufacturers. If you're considering manufacturing overseas, be sure to factor in fluctuating transport costs, shipment time of a few weeks or more, and import taxes. Sometimes the easiest and most profitable choice is a local manufacturer.
8.Natural Rubber or Synthetic? One of the first decisions is natural rubber or synthetic. Natural rubber is tapped from trees, commonly in Southeast Asia. Synthetic rubber, in contrast, is derived primarily from petroleum distillates. Types of synthetic rubber include Butyl, EPDM, Neoprene, Nitril, Silicone, SBR, more. Be sure to hire a manufacturer who can help you select the ideal rubber type for your needs.
9.Special Material Requirements Be aware of any specifications your product will need to meet to be approved for the market. These can include FDA, UL, NSF and others. Also note that certain challenging applications might require new ASTM specifications. Choose a manufacturer with engineering and
rubber testing expertise, to help get the product you need.
